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International Journal of Management (IJM)
Volume 8, Issue 3, May–June 2017, pp.143–147, Article ID: IJM_08_03_015
Available online at
http://www.iaeme.com/ijm/issues.asp?JType=IJM&VType=8&IType=3
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ISSN Print: 0976-6502 and ISSN Online: 0976-6510
© IAEME Publication
A STUDY ON FARMERS ATTITUDE AND
PREFERENCE TOWARDS EXPORT OF
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN SELECTED
DISTRICTS OF TAMILNADU
R. Priya Dharshini
Research Scholar, Bharathiar University,
Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India
Dr. P. Abirami
Assistant Professor, Dept. Of Management Studies,
MNM Jain Engineering College, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India
ABSTRACT
Agriculture occupies a central position in the Indian economy. It contributes 29.4
percent of GDP, employing 64 percent of the country's workforce. Food price
volatility has had a dramatic impact on the food security of poor households in
developing countries. Equally serious has been the impact of long-term trends such as
a slowdown of agricultural productivity growth, urbanization and an increasingly
sophisticated supply chain. These changes have led farmers to focus on exports and
other means of commercialization for better returns. For this a positive attitude of
farmers towards farm management and export benefits is essential. With this back
ground, the present study is taken up with the rigor.
Key words: Agriculture, Indian economy, Agriculture Product, Farmer.
Cite this Article: R. Priya Dharshini and Dr. P. Abirami, A Study on Farmers
Attitude and Preference Towards Export of Agricultural Products in Selected Districts
of Tamilnadu. International Journal of Management, 8 (3), 2017, pp. 143–147.
http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/issues.asp?JType=IJM&VType=8&IType=3
1. INTRODUCTION
This study explored and described the farmers’ attitudes towards farming and export
preferences in three districts of Tamil Nadu state in India, namely, Villupuram,
Thiruvannamalai and Kancheepuram. It examined the farmers’ personal characteristics,
determined their overall attitude towards farming and how this attitude varied based on their
personal characteristics. Six hundred farmers from the three districts on the basis of quota
sampling are targeted and formed the sample. The study revealed that majority of the farmers
were middle aged, formal education or with primary education, had 8-10 years of experience
in farming and had a farm size of 2-10 acres. A majority of the respondents were found to
R. Priya Dharshini and Dr. P. Abirami
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have a favourable attitude towards farming after 2015 heavy rains and floods in the state of
Tamilnadu. The farming interest has increased due to change in the availability of irrigation
water through increased level of ground water. In addition, the connectivity to markets and
the logistics availability and accessibility is increased over a period of time in the sample
districts. Education, family type and average size of the farm land were found to have a
negative and significant association with attitude. Introducing basic scientific concepts in
farming, irrigation and export mechanism with simplified procedures is advised to enhance
the farming attitude and export attitude among the farmers in the sample area in the state of
Tamil Nadu.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Attitudes’ may be thought of as favourable or unfavourable dispositions and can be measured
in abstract and qualitative terms. Hogg & Vaughan (2005) define an attitude as "a relatively
enduring organization of beliefs, feelings, and behavioural tendencies towards socially
significant objects, groups, events or symbols" (p. 150). In considering the significance of
attitudes, characterised in this way, to environmental management, it is important to keep in
mind three important observations about the link between attitudes and action in this context.
First, attitudes do not just appear sui generis. They are formed or constructed, and the factors
that influence the formation or construction of attitudes are of as much interest to social
scientists as the attitudes themselves.
According to the American Society of Agronomy (ASA, 1989) agriculture is considered
as sustainable when over the long term it (i) enhances environmental quality and the resource
base on which agriculture depends, (ii) provides for basic human food and fiber needs, (iii) is
economically viable, and (iv) enhances the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole
(Betts et al., 2004 and Veisi et al., 2010).
According to the 1990 Farm Bill, sustainable agriculture is an integrated system of plant
and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long-
term, satisfy human food and fiber needs; enhance the environmental quality and natural
resources base upon which the agriculture economy depends; make the most efficient use of
nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate natural
biological cycles and controls; sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and enhance
the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole (Veisi et al., 2011).
3. RESEARCH GAP IDENTIFIED
After reviewing the literature available on farming and its associated dimensions the
following gaps were identified.
• The farmers attitudes towards farming, sustainability, technology, environmental
conservation, safety, methods of innovation, crop patterns and other aspects like
marketing of commodities are widely reviewed and found that, there is no direct study
focusing on the farmers attitude and preferences towards exports in India or in the state of
Tamilnadu.
• Majority of the studies reviewed in the literature belongs to western countries and very
few are from India.
Hence, the present study is titled as “Farmer’s Attitude and preferences towards exports of
selected agricultural products in selected districts of tamilnadu”.
A Study on Farmers Attitude and Preference Towards Export of Agricultural Products in Selected
Districts of Tamilnadu
http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 145 editor@iaeme.com
4. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The present study is conducted with the following objectives:
• To study the Profile of farmers, farming patterns among the farmers in the sample area.
• To find the degree of attitude and preferences towards farming and export of agricultural
products among the farmers in the sample area.
• To identify the measures to improve the farming attitude and export preferences among
the farmers in the sample area.
5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The study is mainly based on both Primary and secondary .Primary data which was collected
from the 600 farmers selected on quota sampling basis from Thiruvannamalai, villupuram and
Kancheepuram districts in the state of Tamilnadu. From each district 200 samples were
estimated and targeted to meet in person by visiting the villages the farmers for the purpose of
survey were chosen according to the simple random sampling method.
Table 1 showing the structure of the questionnaire along with the nature of questions
Type of
Question
Part with description Scaling
method
MCQs Part-I: Profile of the Farmers in the sample area
Nominal
Scaling(1-5)
Statements Part-V: Variables affecting the farming attitude and its dimensions
Frontier Mentality
Appreciation of Nature
Benefits of Farming(Positive)
Attitude towards leaving the farms
Drawbacks in farming(Negative)
Satisfaction with the farm life
Relationship with the land
Five point scaling indication Strongly Agree-5 to Strongly disagree-1
Likert’s
Scaling
Data analysis using Friedman test
Null Hypothesis: There is no significant difference between attitude of farming and
educational qualification.
Table 2
Educational Qualification
Illiterate Primary
High
School HSc
Graduat
e and
above
F value P value
Frontier
Mentality
Mean 30.33 33.38 34.38 36.08 33.77 2.256 .062
SD (14.92) (13.41) (14.31) (12.03) (13.53)
Appreciatio
n of Nature
Mean 22.95 25.70 25.95 28.23 26.30 3.719 .005
SD (10.78) (9.51) (10.30) (8.92) (9.23)
Benefits of
Farming
Mean 23.66 27.61 26.55 30.14 27.28 5.547 .000
SD
(11.04)
(9.72)
(9.95)
(8.64)
(9.33)
Leaving
their Farms
Mean 17.96 17.62 15.65 15.64 14.42 6.912 .000
R. Priya Dharshini and Dr. P. Abirami
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SD (6.31) (6.34) (5.98) (6.55) (6.47)
Drawbacks
ofFarming
Mean 18.66 17.28 16.29 15.90 15.64 5.626 0.000
SD (5.37) (4.99) (5.66) (5.77) (5.17)
Satisfaction
with farm
Life
Mean
26.22 29.34 30.85 32.57 31.59 8.510 .000
SD
(9.53)
(8.15)
(9.82)
(8.18)
(7.62)
Relationshi
p with the
Land
Mean
21.93 24.56 25.68 26.61 26.64
7.346 0.000
Factor Analysis-4
Communalities
Table 3
Suggestions to improve export attitude among farmers
Initial
Extractio
n
Removal of licensing system for export of agriculture commodities 1.000 .890
Rural export logistic network establishment and implementation 1.000 .632
Rural logistics for improving storage facilitates and export 1.000 .979
Advanced farm technology mission to improve farm production and
surplus 1.000 .830
Rural export Corporation to procure from farmers and export 1.000 .785
Protection for export value realization and advance payments for
exports. 1.000 .826
Export insurance and free claim settlement mechanism 1.000 .839
Improving the awareness on export procedures and benefits 1.000 .979
Removal of political and beaureucracy in export of agriculture
goods. 1.000 .822
Zero tax on agriculture exports and farm inputs import 1.000 .882
6. LIMITATIONS
• The present study is conducted only in the state of Tamilnadu covering three districts
namely, Thiruvannamalai, villupuram and Kancheepuram, and the prime focus in on
major panchayats and village development blocks in the sample area.
• The sample size is restricted to only 600 and the prime focus is given to farming farmers
cultivating nonperishable goods only.
• Other segments in agriculture are not included .cattle and livestock, poultry, Sericulture
are excluded from the study.
7. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Agriculture is noble occupation in India. There is more than 65 percent of the population is
living in India and depending on the agriculture and farming activities, self sustainability
either in food grains or in commercial crops is highly achieved but
Market access and reaping complete profits was not possible until now. The base reasons
for the same could be lack of storage facilities, lack of proper price fixation policy, rapid
growth of urbanization and migration of farmers and small and marginal farmers from rural to
urban for employment. The large scale farmers too, restricting the farming activities due to
A Study on Farmers Attitude and Preference Towards Export of Agricultural Products in Selected
Districts of Tamilnadu
http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 147 editor@iaeme.com
monsoon failures, crop diseases, and poor availability of labour and low level of margin from
the produce. In addition, the input subsidies and investment incentives from the banks are not
received by the farmers in time. The role of government in crop insurance and protection of
farmers from risk of loss due to calamities is nil. The scenario is slowly changing and in the
years to come with the betterment of the farming attitude farmers will have produced more to
have a market surplus for exports. This can help in getting better margins to the farmers and
to have sustainable growth in agriculture sector.
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